Internet advertising companies seek to find effective advertising methods to promote products and services to potential customers. One advertising method is displaying banner advertisements to recipients as part of a web page including images, text, and/or video promoting certain product and services. Banner advertisements are typically displayed to recipients to the web page hosting the banner, along with other information displayed by the content provider for the web page. A second internet advertising method is sending e-mail messages to potential customers. E-mail messages typically include images, text, and/or video promoting certain products and services, and generally allow more information to be conveyed than banners. E-mail messages that are not solicited by the recipient are much less effective as an advertising method than e-mails specifically requested by the recipient. Sending unsolicited emails raises the risks associated with non-encrypted electronic transmissions, spam filters, and the sharing of e-mail addresses without permission.
Both of the above advertising methods carry the risk on pushing numerous advertisements to potential customers that are not relevant or desired by the recipient. As a result, the potential customer builds an unfavorable image of the advertiser pushing such unwanted advertisements, or the vendor whose product and services are featured. For these reasons, certain vendors may be hesitant to participate in internet advertising. What is needed is a system and method of gathering a recipient's email address, or other preferred information delivery method, and sending targeted advertisements via this delivery method in response to the recipient's subsequent requests for information made through simple interactions with a banner advertisement while browsing the Internet.